WIFM (What's in it for me) is an exclusive, quarterly, bilingual lifestyle magazine offering readers a balanced coverage of business, lifestyle and key happenings in Tokyo along with our own recommendations to explore new opportunities in this great city.

It’s easy to neglect the many worthy causes in
faraway lands when you live in a modern, busy city
with its own economic and social ills. When Custom
Media — publishers of WIFM — considers partnering
with a CSR project we look long and hard at candidates
and conduct some thorough due diligence. In January, we found
the perfect fit.

Independent not-for-profit organization Refugees International
Japan (RIJ) raises funds to help destitute victims of war and
conflict. Tokyo-based and staffed by keen volunteers from Japan
and around the world, RIJ operates by channeling funds generated
by projects through respected and experienced organizations that
help desperate refugees in the field.

This means the cash goes direct to the needy and deserving
and is not trousered by some tin pot dictator’s extended family,
exploited by a questionable political cause, nor squandered by
a pen-pushing jobsworth; neither are hefty “administration
charges” creamed off by dodgy outfits masquerading as NPOs.

I was delighted to be approached to advise RIJ on how we
could help. By rebranding, redesigning and editing its key
marketing collateral pro bono over the next year and beyond, our
brief is to help RIJ attract more donors and help raise its profile.
And just because we are doing this for free does not mean we
will drop our standards — unlike some others in this field, we will
give RIJ the same high level of attention, time and expertise as
our revenue-earning projects.

There are many ways people can help and RIJ is always looking
for volunteers. Here is their website if you’d like to know more: